Dallas Cowboys

Player News - Cowboys

According to ESPN's Ed Werder, free agent DeMarco Murray will re-sign with the Cowboys if their contract offer is "equal or similar" to what he receives on the open market.

So basically, if Dallas matches Murray's best offer, the Cowboys would win the tiebreaker. He's also leaving room for a slight hometown discount. Murray has said he would like to play for a winner. That won't be guaranteed if he signs with Jacksonville or Tennessee, two teams with enough cap space to offer Murray a massive contract. The Colts, last year's AFC runner-up, could be a dark horse in the Murray sweepstakes.

Cowboys agreed to terms with WR Cole Beasley on a four-year, $13.6M contract.

The Cowboys likely could have retained Beasley on a second-round restricted free agent tender. Instead, they decided to make a longer-term commitment with a $4M signing bonus as part of $7M guaranteed. The grossly undersized Beasley emerged as a reliable slot option late last year, averaging 3.5 catches per day over the final eight games (including playoffs). He'll continue to fill a Jeremy Kerley kind of role for Dallas, who used their franchise tag on Dez Bryant Monday and also has No. 2 man Terrance Williams under contract.

RapSheet also throws the Seahawks into the mix if Marshawn Lynch retires, but we don't see them as a serious threat. The Seahawks are unlikely to get anything definitive from Lynch within the next week, and Murray is going to sign within the opening 48 hours of free agency. The other three teams make plenty of sense and have also been linked to Adrian Peterson. Arizona is looking to take some work off Andre Ellington after he broke down as the workhorse in 2014. Ahmad Bradshaw is a free agent in Indy, and Trent Richardson is likely a goner. Toby Gerhart didn't cut it as the Jaguars' lead back, while Denard Robinson is more of a change-of-pace runner. Murray will likely go to the highest bidder.

It's a one-year, $12.823 million tender. The sides now have until July 15 to work toward a long-term agreement. Bryant has expressed displeasure at the prospect of being tagged, and won't be in a hurry to sign. The Cowboys appear to have genuine interest in getting Bryant locked up, while owner/GM Jerry Jones has always been loath to let his stars walk. There's a legitimate chance the sides come to an accord sometime over the next four months.

Cowboys VP Stephen Jones admitted talks with free agent DeMarco Murray have been "slow," and Murray will make it to the open market.

"[Murray] is probably going to, you know, get some peace and see what's out in the market and then we'll talk and see," Jones said. "I do believe deep down he'd love to stay in Dallas." The Cowboys couldn't reach a long-term deal with fellow free agent Dez Bryant and will be forced to tag him this week. Murray's days with Dallas aren't necessarily over, but the 27-year-old should chase the money.

Claiborne is five months removed from a torn patellar tendon and had his knee scoped in January. He's questionable for the start of training camp and can't be counted on for a 2015 role. Claiborne is due $2.6 million in the final year of his rookie contract.

Cowboys VP Stephen Jones confirmed the team will use the franchise tag on free agent Dez Bryant.

"I think it would be a stretch to think we would have something done by Monday," Jones said. "Looks like we're eyeing a franchise tag on Dez, but that certainly won't stop us from working hard to get a long-term deal." This has been the expectation all along. Dallas is in talks with Bryant, but the sides aren't expected to reach an agreement before the franchise-tag deadline. Bryant will make around $13 million if the Cowboys don't extend him by July 15.

Lancaster, Tex. police say they have no video of the July 2011 incident involving Dez Bryant in a Walmart parking lot.

Police had already said they were summoned but made no arrests. Now we know they don't have the supposed smoking-gun video that's been the subject of innuendo and Twitter hysteria over the past 48 hours. The episode should begin fading from memory.

NFL Media has produced the incident/investigation report regarding a 2011 incident in a Wal-Mart parking lot that involved Dez Bryant.

This is the incident that has been generating headlines and wild rumors over the last 24 hours. The report says an unknown person called police to explain a black female was "being dragged from one vehicle to another vehicle" by a black male. The vehicle the woman was dragged from was a Mercedes registered to Bryant. When police arrived on the scene, the alleged victim was not there. Soon after, she arrived in a Bentley with Bryant and said she had an argument with a man named Alex Person and that she was not assaulted in any way. The police let everyone go, determining there was no offense. It remains unclear if there is any video of the incident, although most Wal-Marts have security cameras. You can read the full incident report at the link below.

According to NFL.com's Ian Rapoport, the Cowboys have been reluctant to sign free agent Dez Bryant to a long-term deal because of ongoing concerns about his off-field behavior.

The police have been called to his home in DeSoto, Texas six times since 2011, though Bryant wasn't charged in any of the incidents. Reports of a 2011 incident in a Wal-Mart parking lot have also surfaced. Dallas previously offered Bryant a ten-year, $114 million extension, but that offer only included $20 million in guaranteed money.

Durant tore his bicep in Week 8 and was sent to I.R. Prior to going down, he was playing strong defense as the Cowboys' strong-side linebacker. The No. 48 overall pick in the 2007 draft will turn 30 in September and has played a full 16-game season just once in his career. He's not going to command much money on the open market, though the Cowboys would probably like to re-sign him.

Jerry Jones is operating under the assumption Tony Romo has a five-year window left.

Romo will turn 35 in April, has had back surgeries in each of the previous two offseasons and fractured his back during Week 8 of last year. Of course, Jerry is going to be optimistic with his franchise quarterback. The Cowboys have not invested at all in developing quarterback talent behind Romo, who has only missed two games in the last four seasons.

According to Rainer Sabin of the Dallas Morning News, the Cowboys have had discussions with Brandon Carr's agent at the NFL Combine.

Sabin believes the Cowboys may have asked Carr to take a pay cut. The underachieving corner is due a monster $12.7 million cap hit in 2015. With Dez Bryant likely to be franchise-tagged and DeMarco Murray headed for free agency, the Cowboys need all the salary cap relief they can get.

Jerry Jones said he'd prefer to lessen DeMarco Murray's workload if the running back re-signs with Dallas.

The Cowboys repeatedly made allusions to this during the 2014 season as well. But Murray ended up with a franchise record 392 carries because he was so vital to their success -- they just couldn't take the rock out of his hands once in the heat of battle. Backing off workloads from great backs is far easier said than done.

The Cowboys have until March 2 to slap Dez with the franchise tag, something they will do if a long-term deal can't be reached. It's hard to be too upset over a one-year deal worth roughly $13M. And from a fantasy perspective, having Dez in a contract year once again can only be a good thing.